


Runaway

by Anichibi



Category: Persona 3
Genre: Angst, Brief Gore, Everyone is Dead, Gen, Heavy Angst, Why Did I Write This?, an attempt was made
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-24
Updated: 2019-01-24
Packaged: 2019-10-15 06:14:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17523422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anichibi/pseuds/Anichibi





	Runaway

Minato's eyes snapped open, being greeted to the darkness of his room. He was breathing deeply, as if trying to calm himself. His hand slipped under his bangs and covered half of his face. He vaguely remembered feeling blood splash against his cheek. Was that a dream? No, it was more like a memory. That memory was the day his parents died. Right. He faintly heard his music coming through his headphones as he refocused himself.

_♪~Run run far away, run run to a better place~♪_

__

♪~Somewhere we can laugh truthfully~♪

__

♪~Run run far away, they're not gonna find us today~♪

__

_♪~Maybe they can try another day~♪_

He removed his hand from his face as he rolled over to face the ceiling, simply listening to the song. Sleep eventually overcame him again and he was out as quickly as he woke up.

\-------

That nightmare was becoming more and more frequent, Minato noted. He stayed awake longer every time, too. He was starting to think it was a sign something awful was going to happen. He was hoping he was just losing sleep over nothing, and that all his dozing off in class and mindlessly bumping into things would end soon. The others were starting to get concerned. Which was understandable. Their stoic leader tripped up the stairs the other day and gave himself a bruise on the forehead. That same leader walked into both the table and the couch the day before that, and fell asleep on the train the day before that. He was practically running on coffee and three hours of sleep at this point.

"Yo, Minato, you doin' okay, man?" Junpei asked after class, rousing Minato from his half asleep state.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Minato muttered just loud enough to be heard, lacking the energy to raise his voice any louder. He yawned after he spoke, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"You sure, dude?" Junpei pressed. Minato simply nodded in response. "Dude, the teacher called on you and you got the answer wrong."

"So?"

"You've never gotten a question wrong before! You're smart as hell!" Junpei exclaimed loudly, much to Minato's displeasure.

"So I got something wrong, no big deal. You're acting like it's the end of the world." Minato replied, yawning again. "Can we just go home? I'm tired."

"That's another thing! You've been sleepin' in class and stuff a lot lately! Are you sure you're doin' okay?" Minato suddenly sat up, making it a point to have his chair screech loudly against the floor. The room fell silent. Minato shot an icy glare at Junpei, metaphorically freezing the boy in place.

"I said I'm _fine_ , and I _meant_ it." He stated through gritted teeth. After a few seconds that seemed to stretch on for hours, Minato spoke again. "I'm going back to the dorm." He grabbed his bag and walked away. It would've seemed like the whole thing didn't happen if not for the fact Junpei was still standing there, gawking at nothing.

\-------

"You want to go to Tartarus tonight?" Fuuka asked as if she didn't believe what she was hearing.

"Yeah. The full moon's coming up and we haven't been training as much as we should be." Minato explained. He was really just doing it to get his mind off that reoccurring dream and the foreboding feeling it gave him.

"Well, I understand that, but you look tired, Minato-san. Maybe you should rest instead?" Fuuka stated, noting the dark circles under Minato's eyes. The blue haired boy shook his head.

"I'm fine. If you're really worried about me, I can stay behind. The others should do fine without me."

"Well, if you insist. I'll let the others know. You should still rest before we leave." Fuuka added.

"I will. Make sure someone wakes me up before we go."

"Okay. Sleep well, Minato-san!"

\-------

Minato watched the others enter Tartarus without him, staying with Fuuka despite how well rested he was. He didn't want to chance anything. Fuuka quickly used the Evoker to summon Lucia and began guiding the others.

Minato let himself get some more rest as Fuuka continued to assist the others. He almost fell asleep on the stairs before Fuuka started yelling. "Is everyone okay?! Please respond!"

"What happened?" Minato asked as he sat up, his concern overriding his need for sleep.

"I don't know, but I can't find the others! They haven't responded to me either!"

Minato quickly glanced to the teleporter before grabbing his sword from beside the stairs. "I'm going in. What floor were they on before you lost contact?"

"Um... 45, I believe."

"Okay. Let me know if you hear back from them. I'll be back soon."

\-------

Minato felt his skin turn cold when he heard chains rattling on the 45th floor. He knew what that meant, and he did _not_ like it. "Fuuka, where is everyone?! Can you see their locations and conditions?!" Minato's voice was edging slightly towards panicking, something he did very very rarely.

_"I can see their locations! But I can't tell if they're okay!"_

"If you're able to soon, please let me know." Minato stated before charging in. Fuuka gave him directions to whoever was closest, and his blood turned cold.

"No..." Minato's eyes were wide, as if taking in the scene before him to let tortue his mind forever. Junpei and Yukari lay in bloody heaps on the ground, Junpei covering Yukari as if shielding her from whatever danger they had been facing. Bullet holes could be seen in the chest area of both of them. Nervously, Minato called out to them. "Junpei..? Yukari..?" No response from either. Minato bit his lip. He was scared. Scared to check their pulses. Scared to find out if they were dead. He worked up the courage to do so anyway.

Nothing. Nothing from either of them.

No. _Nononononononono no NO **NO!**_ Minato's mind went into an endless mantra as he cast Diarama over and over, hoping against all hope they'd get revived from the endless healing, but it wasn't working. Not even the thinnest cuts healed. _Nonononononononono please no please no god I'm begging you please don't-_

Immediately he rushed to find the other two that had come in. Mitsuru and Akihiko. He prayed that they had managed to avoid to reaper so far. He called their names as he ran, hoping desperately they'd reply. He wouldn't be able to stand losing four friends like this.

Fuuka's voice sounded almost distant to him. He was barely able to hear her mention Mitsuru's location. He quickly asked her to repeat it and turned in that direction before skidding to a hault again.

Mitsuru was dead, as Junpei and Yukari were. Her body was almost mutilated beyond recognition. He wouldn't have been able to identify it as Mitsuru, if not for the armband and rapier laying next to her disfigured corpse. It looked as though something torn into her, bits of her ribcage exposed in a bloody mess as her entrails spilled out. Her head was hanging, and Minato wasn't sure if he should've been grateful for that. A different Shadow probably got to her. This thought crossed Minato's mind briefly before seeing blood drip from her forehead. Minato could barely stand the grotesque sight and the pungent smell of blood anymore and threw up right on the floor. It was sickening and horrifying to think that, just a few moments ago, that was Mitsuru.

He forced himself to look for Akihiko. He was hesitant, terrified that Akihiko would be in an even worse state than Mitsuru had been.

He ran and ran and never stopped until he bumped into something. He fell back, as expected, and quickly looked up. He all but cried when he saw Akihiko looking down at him, breathing heavily. "A-Akihiko!" He stood up, immediately throwing his arms around the upperclassman.

"Hey, what happened to make you like this?" Akihiko didn't receive an answer. Minato sobbed in response, an odd mixture of grief and relief in he tears.

"Th-the others, they-!" He was cut off by another sob.

"What happened to the others?"

"They- They're-"

_"Akihiko-senpai! Minato-san! Look out!"_ Fuuka's voice echoed int their heads. Minato was able to pick out the sound of chains scraping against the cold floor, growing ever louder.

"We need to go. Now!" Minato grabbed Akihiko's wrist and started to run, but Akihiko pulled his hand away.

"We can't leave without the others." Minato shot him a teary-eyed glance, begging him to understand before the reaper got him too.

"Please. I don't want to lose anyone else, Akihiko!" Minato nearly choked on his words.

"Lose..? You don't mean..." Akihiko was silent as he put the dots together. The sound of chains rattling grew closer still.

" _Please_." Minato's voice broke, and the dam that held his tears in gave as well. Akihiko silently nodded, letting Minato drag him by the wrist to the teleporter.

They were almost home free before they ran into an unwanted surprise. The reaper, right in the way of the teleporter. "Nonononono _dammit_! We-we have to leave, dammit! We were so close!" Minato was beginning to panic hard. Akihiko quickly pulled him into a nearby hallway for him to hide before going to face the reaper. Minato realized his plan, frantically yelling, standing up on shaky legs and running, begging him to stop.

Akihiko ran past the reaper, drawing it's attention and leading it away from the teleporter. Minato stood near it in complete silence before heard the bang of a gun far away. He fell to his knees.

Akihiko was dead.

Minato shook with sobs.

Mitsuru was dead.

Minato curled into himself.

Junpei was dead.

Minato screamed at the top of his lungs.

Yukari was dead.

Minato heard those chains rattling again, growing closer, but he didn't run. There was no point anymore.

_"Minato-san!"_

"Fuuka, I'm so sorry. Please, tell the chairman that too. Tell him I failed as a leader and that he'll never have to see me again. I'm sorry, Fuuka." The rattling of chains stopped. Minato felt the cold barrel of a gun press against the back of his head.

"I'm sorry, everyone."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
_**BANG.**_  



End file.
